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Jane Seymour
'Jane Seymour '''was King Henry Tudor's third wife and mother of prince/king Edward Tudor. She was Henry's favourite wife, as she gave the King the son he had wanted for a long time. She was a kind-hearted, docile woman described as having inner beauty and noble character. Jane gave Henry what he wanted most, however, unfortunately, the birth was long and painful because Edward was not positioned right. Henry celebrated the birth of a son, but his joy was short-lived, as Queen Jane contracted puerperal fever and died within days. After Jane Seymour's death, Henry did not wed again for three years. After her death, Henry also isolated himself in his chambers while mourning his favourite wife's death. Henry loved Jane mainly because of her giving him a son, however it is clear that Henry would have loved her anyway without her giving him a male heir, and he became infatuated with her in season 2 while he was still with Queen Anne Boleyn. Speculation also states that Henry simply wanted an excuse for Anne Boleyn to be executed, which might explain why he was quick to believe the lies of Anne's adultery, incest and treason. Jane Seymour was played by Anita Briem in season 2 and Annabelle Wallis in season 3 and the Season 4 finale. Wallis portrays her in five episodes (including the Season finale) while Briem portrays her in four. Season Two Jane is first introduced in the second season when Henry meets her while stopping at her father's hunting lodge with his friend Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, in episode 2.07. Henry is clearly attracted to her, and has her come to court as a lady-in-waiting for Queen Anne Boleyn. In episode 2.08, his affections begin to shift from Anne to Jane despite Anne being pregnant for the third time (her first pregnancy produced a daughter and the second ended in a miscarriage, so her inability to give Henry a son coupled with her sharp tongue caused her to fall increasingly from his favor). Anne notices this attraction immediately and is angered; when she sees Jane wearing a locket with Henry's portrait inside, she rips it off Jane's neck so forcefully her fingers bleed. Meanwhile, the Seymours (who are as ambitious as the Boleyns) are increasingly favored by the King. Henry and Jane flirt, eventually kissing near the end of episode 2.08. Anne sees this and goes wild with anger and grief; she miscarries Henry's son and tries to apologize, but Henry does not listen and walks away. When Anne is falsely accused of adultery, incest and treason, she is sentenced to death and Henry proposes to Jane Seymour as soon as his marriage is declared null and void. Season Three Jane has a larger role in the first half of season three. She marries Henry, becoming his third wife, just 10 days after Anne Boleyn's execution. Henry is initially somewhat domineering and blunt towards her, perhaps to test if she is like Anne. However, having learned from Anne's example, Jane is careful to remain submissive, but attempts as best she can to help the women of the palace in a quiet manner. When she initially tried to persuade Henry to adopt a more merciful attitude towards the rebels in the North, Henry quietly told her not to interfere with his policies; "Remember what happened to the late queen?... I love you more than I loved her, even more than Catherine. Don't spoil it." After this, she does not interfere further. She was particularly kind to Lady Rochford, her handmaiden and much-abused former wife of the executed George Boleyn. She encourages Henry to invite his daughter Mary back to court and to reconnect with her and his younger daughter Elizabeth, showing every kindness to both of them. Because of this kindness, as well as their shared Catholic faith, Mary and Jane develop a very friendly relationship. Henry loves Jane deeply, however he still has a mistress; unlike Catherine or Anne before her, Jane submissivey ignores them, reasoning she can only make change by being very subtle. Anne's more open nature as a wife was partly what lost her the King's favor while Catherine resisted divorce and expressed her discomfort but accepted defeat in everything else; Jane believes she can help the women of the court by accepting her submissive role and being generous. This demonstrates that, while she is not as shrewd as her predecessors, Jane knows what kind of a game she is getting into and has no qualms about what Henry is capable of, despite her genuine love for him. Jane subtly begins announcing her pregnancy to Henry by her craving quail eggs, bringing happiness to the couple and to the court. Jane gives birth to a son after a difficult two-day labour, with Mary at her side the entire time praying for her. Henry is overjoyed. He celebrates, but Queen Jane dies of puerperal fever 12 days after Edward's birth, partly because the doctors dithered on the right treatment. Her death devastates Henry, who remains in his chambers mourning his wife's death for weeks. Interestingly, Jane is the only one of Henry's wives who dies while still Queen Consort (Catherine of Aragon was still recognized as Queen by Catholic countries but the Church of England had annulled her marriage to Henry, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard both had their marriages to the King annulled before they were beheaded, Anne of Cleves was divorced very quickly but allowed to remain Dowager Princess and Catherine Parr remarried after Henry's death), although she died before she could be crowned Queen of England. Despite her death, her family remains in the King's good graces; in particular, her brother Lord Hartford is protective of his nephew the Prince and remains a powerful figure in Henry's court at the end of the series. Jane's son Edward is mostly raised by his benevolent third stepmother, Catherine Parr. Unlike his Catholic mother, Edward was brought up under Lutheran influence. He became King at a very young age after his father died; as he was unable to fully understand most matters of state when crowned, his advisors played an even greater role in running the kingdom for him than Henry's had. Edward's reign was significant- greatly strengthening the Protestant Reformation in England- but only lasted six and a half years, and he suddenly died at age 17 of serious illness. Edward attempted to remove his sisters from the line of succession in his will in favor of one of his Seymour cousins Lady Jane Grey, but popular opinion swept this gesture aside, and Jane was deposed and executed after only a few days by Edward's oldest half-sister, Mary Tudor. Season Four Jane appears briefly in the series finale. In a dream sequence, she tells Henry she is not happy with their son Edward's treatment and that Edward will die young. Henry protests, "No!", shocked, but Jane leaves the dream. Henry's favourite wife All evidence suggests that Henry loved Jane the best of all his wives. She was most likely Henry's favourite wife because she was the only consort who produced a male heir. Her constant submission and kind nature also played major factors in Henry's love of her, traits he remembered from his first and longest marriage, to Catherine of Aragon. Although Henry loved all of his wives, except, possibly, for Anne of Cleves, Jane was Henry's favourite; however, due to her untimely death, her reign as Queen was shorter than any of Henry's other wives except Anne of Cleves. Like her predecessor, Jane was encouraged by her ambitious family to curry the king's favour through his attraction to her. Unlike Catherine or Anne Boleyn, however, Jane was neither well-educated nor well-versed in politics, and she was of lower noble birth than either of them. This, combined with her submissive nature, makes her seem a rather feeble queen; however, her Christian piety, traditional beauty and very kind nature made her popular both with the people and with her husband and stepchildren. Henry likely felt she was a more appropriate choice after the emotionally tumultuous Anne Boleyn, whose boldness towards him, while charming in a mistress, he had found less attractive in a wife. Although Jane was a very popular Queen, Thomas Cromwell and other reformists were suspicious of her deep Catholic background, fearing she would influence the King to undo their reformation; a few even wished that Anne Boleyn were still Queen, as she had been a staunch reformist. However, Jane was too modest by nature to influence the King's political actions, and Cromwell quickly realized she was not a threat to him or the Reformation. Despite being Henry's favorite queen, Jane's legacy is much less prominent than Catherine or Anne's; her reign was extremely short whereas Catherine was Queen of England for several decades, and her son Edward only reigned a short time whereas Anne's daughter Elizabeth reigned for 44 years. Backstory Jane had been at court for 6 years, being a lady in waiting to both queens Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, Henry did not seem interested until the February of 1536, mentioning a rumour of a third marriage in a letter sent on January 29. He termed it "''une nouvelle armour" (meaning "a new love"), and within 3 months Queen Anne was beheaded and Jane was betrothed to the King. Historian David Starkey wrote Jane had as much religious fervor as Anne Boleyn, but it was the opposite sentiment: Anne was a "radical reformer", and Jane was a supporter of the institution of the Catholic Church. Jane didn't have Anne or Catherine's stellar education. In fact, she only read and write her name, something that was typical for women of her station at the time. Jane's skills were her needlework and household management. '''Gentility: '''the daughter of a knighted courtier, and King Henry's fifth cousin three times removed. '''Position: '''A lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon and then Anne Boleyn, Jane then became Queen Consort of England. Quotes * "It's a locket, your Majesty." * "If they ever open my grave, they will find it." * "He must do as he will." * "Are you saying that I should be Queen instead of her?" * "When I am Queen I should hope to see her reinstated as heir apparent"- talking about Lady Mary, Henry's daughter. * "I beg you to restore and keep the abbeys. Think what the world would think. You'd listen to your people and your heart."- Jane talking to Henry in bed. * It is we, Lady Rochford, who must always honour and obey. Do not be troubled for me, for I have great reason to be happy."- Jane's reaction when discovering Henry has a mistress. Gallery GW313H231-1-.jpg GW344H250-1-.jpg GW268H285-1-.jpg GW300H238-1-.jpg GW290H237-1-.jpg GW280H280-1-.jpg GW303H219-1-.jpg GW298H262-1-.jpg GW297H229-1-.jpg GW277H226-1-.jpg GW340H244-1-.jpg GW351H196-1-.jpg GW367H207-1-.jpg GW366H207-1-.jpg GW363H205-1-.jpg Category:Characters